Tag Archive: Vince Tabone

A request to postpone the corruption trial of embattled former City Councilman Dan Halloran, GOP Vice Chairman Vince Tabone, and state Sen. Malcolm Smith was denied last week and will proceed as set on June 2nd.

[From The Queens Gazette] A federal court judge has refused to delay the June 2 corruption trial of embattled state Sen. Malcom Smith, former City Councilmember Dan Halloran and Queens GOP Vice Chairman Vince Tabone.

Attorneys for the three disgraced politicos last month requested that the trial be delayed to the end of the year, so it would not interfere with the 2013 primary elections. But Judge Kenneth Karas, who is overseeing the trial in White Plains, issued a finding on February 28 in which he denied the request for postponement.

Smith was indicted by a federal grand jury in April 2013, for allegedly plotting to bribe Republican Party officials for a spot on the party’s 2013 primary ballot. The indictment also charged Halloran, Tabone and others in the scheme. Smith, 56, and Halloran, 42, face up to 45 years in prison if convicted. The indictment charges that Smith, a democrat, allegedly sought help from Halloran, a conservative Republican, to get his name on the Republican Party primary. As a Democrat, Smith, under current law, needed Republican Party support in at least three boroughs to run as a Republican candidate without changing his party affiliation, authorities said.

Prosecutors charge that Smith, in an attempt to gather that support, asked Halloran to schedule meetings with Republican Party leaders and negotiate thousands of dollars in bribes. Meanwhile, Halloran and Tabone pocketed thousands of dollars of the bribe money, prosecutors said.Defense attorneys for Smith and Halloran say their client’s actions are not considered bribery under New York state law and are asking the court to toss some of the charges.Karas said Smith, Halloran and Tabone will go on trial on June 2, as originally planneed.

One by one, Smith, Councilman Dan Halloran and former Republican party officials filed into federal court in White Plains on Friday.

It was their first court appearance since being charged in a massive bribery scheme.

“Justice is going to take a long time to get, but once we get there, I am sure I will be very happy with the outcome,” Halloran said.

They are accused of trying to fix this year’s mayoral ballot, allegedly exchanging thousands of dollars in cash, so-called payoffs for Republican party officials to agree to put Smith, a Democrat, on the GOP line.

They have all pleaded not guilty.

In court on Friday, attorneys for both Smith and Halloran said they will make motions to dismiss some of the charges.

“I think the more we get into the legal issues here, and the facts and circumstances of the case, the more confident we are about the outcome,” said Smith attorney Ross Kramer.

“What they’re charging him with is not covered by the law,” said Halloran attorney Vinoo Varghese.

An attorney for Vincent Tabone, a former vice chair of the Queens Republicans, said he also wants the charges dismissed. If not that, then Tabone wants a separate trial.

Full story: http://manhattan.ny1.com/content/politics/political_news/185813/several-lawmakers-appear-in-court-on-corruption-charges#sthash.G6bslJmZ.dpuf

It seems the political discourse has boiled down to guilt by association, so how does a certain council member escape any scrutiny in a statewide corruption sting?

Phil Ragusa is the official Chairman of the Queens County Republican Party. He is a man that has faithfully served government and politics for over thirty years. In his professional life he owns an accounting business and has volunteered his time and service to the Republican Party. His reputation has never been marred; he has been nothing but a good and decent citizen to the community. Maybe he didn’t give 100% of his time to rebuilding the party so he entrusted others with the responsibility to do just that. This trust may have been compromised, but for any political figure to call for his resignation at this point is ridiculous.

Ragusa wasn’t even named in the criminal complaint, but the Councilman didn’t care. Instead this loudmouthed Republican with misplaced priorities should be calling for Christine Quinn to resign not his own party’s leader.

Sensing a golden opportunity, the Republican Councilmember openly chastised his own Party Chairman and called for his resignation, even suggesting a replacement. Kind of ironic considering for his entire career in the halls of government where this Councilman serves has been the subject of one investigation after another. Yet not once has he stood up and pointed the finger at Christine Quinn – even at a time when the public trust for her leadership is nonexistent. Now after he’s kept quiet all these years, he tells us he wants his own bagman to take over? But why? Is it so he can have his own brand of control? His lingo is the jittery patter of a would-be Republican aristocracy, utterly incapable of introspection and yet, at least according to the Councilman, better than the rest of them in every way.

Let he who is without sin cast the first stone. It’s very easy to beat someone when they’re down. And maybe they deserve it. But the courts will have to decide this, not the pundits and certainly not Jay Leno. It’s never easy to standup to fraud and mismanagement; you don’t win a lot of friends this way, trust me. But it is hypocritical for the GOP councilman to take the moral high ground when his chief political operative was named as an unindicted co-conspirator in a case involving bribery and another advisor wearing an orange jumpsuit as we speak.

The rhetoric he uses is meant to define and defend his mutiny, to distinguish between the exalted them and the vast divergent world of not-them. Reporters turn the other cheek as if this never occurred, but it did: these criminals are the pillars of corruption for which his tenure was built upon. And if the Councilman wants to judge someone, he needs to take a good look at his former staff: a convicted felon and a man with a tainted reputation involving graft and bribery. If I am wrong, I ask this GOP councilman to stop grandstanding and hold a press conference to repudiate the speaker who has failed to maintain control of the legislative body. Her own scandals notwithstanding, it’s time to speak up Councilman.

When we lead the nation in political corruption it’s time for an overhaul of the political system.

Where does the corruption STOP? When will the interests of the people come FIRST? Espada, Monserratte, McLoughlin, Huntley, Spitzer, Haggerty, Ognibene, Kruger, Lipsky, Bruno, Seabrook, Meeks, Lopez, Meng, and now Halloran, Tabone, Smith, and Savino?

We all trusted many of our elects, whether the constituents of the Bronx with Espada, residents of Corona that supported Hiram, or those who voted for Shirley Huntley, or in South Queens with Malcolm Smith and Dan Halloran in the North.

While not all the facts are in, it’s a sad day in Queens County when two of your esteemed elects are under arrest for crimes against the public.

Shockingly this is not what one would think of Dan Halloran. Say what you want about the colorful legislator, no one has worked harder than Dan to support the constituents, to be a consistent presence in the neighborhood, to be just a phone call away from anyone that needed help.

The New York Post reported Congressman Bob Turner, whose district was chopped up during reapportionment, is interested in becoming the Queens County Republican Leader, however the one-term Congressman neglected to mention it won’t be a cake walk.

Bob Turner will have to convince leaders in 18 Assembly Districts that he’s the right man for the job, which will prove to be an uphill battle considering Queens County Republican leaders are already confident that incumbent Chairman Phil Ragusa has the bulk of support.

“Phil Ragusa will be re-elected to another term because the vast majority of leaders in the 18 Assembly District appreciate his integrity and hard work these past five years,” according to Queens County Republican Executive Vice Chairman Vince Tabone.

Republican candidates have found it difficult to gain a foothold in some parts of Queens, but the GOP remains dedicated to providing an alternative to Queens County Democratic candidates and have since stepped up efforts with youth outreach, voter registration drives, and dedicating full support for Councilman Dan Halloran’s bid for Congress.

Even with GOP endorsed candidates, like Juan Reyes, losing this election cycle the official party leadership remains confident.

(l to r) Leroy Comrie, Dan Halloran, Katherine James, Shirley Hintley, Ruben Wills, and Serph Maltese present Katherine with a proclamation signed by Speaker Christie Quinn and the entire Queens republican and democratic delegation for her service to the borough. A few lines of the proclamation had to be extracted so all the signatures would fit on it.

A seemingly innocent invitation is causing a storm of controversy in GOP party politics and has prompted the ‘retirement’ of one of its top officials.

In a recent article by City and State, an anonymous reader sent a copy of an invitation for Catherine James’s Retirement Party which set off a fury of allegations. Katherine, the former Deputy Chief Clerk at the Board of Elections, was accused of soliciting campaign contributions for her ‘retirement party’ using BOE resources, according to the article. However, the headline, RETIRING QUEENS BOE EMPLOYEE USED OFFICE RESOURCES TO SOLICIT “CONTRIBUTIONS” TO POLITICAL CLUB is erroneous and misleading.

Katherine James did not know that BOE resources were used for the invitation. Katherine did not even know about the party as she wasn’t part of a planning or organizing committee and she certainly didn’t oversee the design of the invitation. The event was a complete surprise.

Some questions remain. Why would a Republican club – a club where Katherine is a board member – list the BOE as the return mailing address? Did she think 300 recipients would turn the other cheek? Perhaps it was a snafu, a really brainless snafu that screams conflict of interest to every recipient both democrats and republicans alike? Sounds like nonsense.

For 50 years Katherine has been around a political element. We doubt she’d make a rookie mistake or mastermind her own destruction. Nevertheless anyone with an axe to grind now has the perfect stump for a clean chop.

Tensions were brewing up. On March 24th the Queens County Executive committee informed Katherine there would be a meeting to discuss endorsements of congressional candidates. Katherine served as one of the highest-ranking officers of that committee as the Vice-Chair. On the day of the event she couldn’t attend due to a family commitment. She returned to work on Monday to hear that Chairman Phil Ragusa endorsed Alan Jennings, a democrat, through a Wilson Pakula in the new fifth congressional district. Katherine is the District Leader for the 32nd AD, which is an AD in the 5th congressional district. Katherine didn’t get a phone call and it was in her hometown where Jennings would receive the GOP line. She felt bypassed and refused to go to future events unless amends were made.

Despite the makings of a quirky political feud, it’s unlikely that Ragusa or Tabone sent the problematic invitation. Both are smart enough not to encourage negative press on the Party. So, then, who engineered the mail piece? Who would benefit from Katherine’s retirement and an opening of a coveted patronage post? Was another audit from the Comptroller’s office or a visit from the DOI part of a calculated risk – a means to an end? Or was it more sinister, a power-grab, or retribution for a past offense?

It appears that all members of the Queens County Executive committee come under the spotlight for a periodic scrutiny and it was Katherine’s turn to finally be picked off by forces unknown.

Was it the butler? The strategic plan to take out the low guy on the totem pole was likely executed by whoever is upset with Tabone, Ragusa, or Steven Graves who is said to yearn for the day when he can throw County under the bus even though there are allegations of corruption, fraud, and bribery against Graves. Adding insult to injury, rumors are floating around that stories are being pitched to the NY Post for the final humiliation.

City and State mentions Katherine as the President of the Women’s Republican Party of Queens. This is incorrect. Katherine resigned that position when Serphin Maltese and Frank Padavan were the last two Queens Republicans serving in the Senate. Katherine served ex officio as Vice-President.

Katherine is the mother of four children, now adults. Her husband is a retired Fire Captain. She attended Queens and Brooklyn College and got her start in politics when she went to the Conservative party for guidance and education. She ran for the school board where she won and served for 10 years. Katherine was also the NYS Common Cause downstate director and she worked for the Jamaica Service program for older adults – a 36-year-old social service agency, including ten years of service in the City Council.

Katherine carved out a reputation in Queens as an activist. She volunteered for the Salvation Army, the Girl Scouts and a myriad of other service based organizations. Years later, she heard of a vacancy at the BOE for a republican office worker. Then-chairman Serphin Maltese met Katherine and quickly hired her for her energy and enthusiasm.

Katherine James didn’t willfully retire; she was fired and removed from the payroll. The headline is the proof in the pudding. She could have felt it was coming down the pipeline, but she probably didn’t think she would be framed and caught up in a web of allegations at the twilight of her career. Down at the BOE, Marie Lynch, the former Director of Equipment has become the new Deputy Chief Clerk. For Katherine, the way it was done was neither professional nor commensurate with the service she performed to the county of Queens.

Council Member Dan Halloran (R-Flushing) posed with actor Kelsey Grammer at the New York City Police Museum’s third annual Police Hero Awards Gala and Silent Auction last Wednesday in Columbus Circle. Besides Grammer, the honorees included John and Margo Catsimatidis. NYPD commissioner Ray Kelly served as keynote speaker. To the right is Vince Tabone, vice chairman of the Queens GOP.

Just when you think the Senate lines were gerrymandered, take a look at the funky Assembly lines and you’ll see another baby alien popping out of a stomach.

Vince Tabone, the Executive Vice Chair of The Queens County Republican Party ran for Assembly against Ed Braunstein in 2010 and lost, but the defeat wasn’t enough for the Democrats in charge of the Assembly LATFOR process. Vince Tabone has become a victim of political gerrymandering.

Tabone, a Bayside resident, lives with his family in a quaint home on 215th St, a sleepy tree-lined road with longtime residents. If the new lines become official, one side of 216th St. will be in the 26th A.D, where, coincidentally, Tabone ran for Assembly, and the other side will be designated in Rory Lancman’s 25th A.D.

Tabone's house pictured here with current Assembly lines in District 26.

Guess which side of the street Tabone’s residence could be located? It just so happens that his house is proposed for inclusion in the 25th A.D.

Tabone was not shocked at the proposed redistricting. “I looked at it and I wished I could say I was surprised, but after being in politics awhile you get a little cynical,” he said.

Tabone was redistricted from the ED’s where he did extremely well, but instead of crying foul he looks at the results of LATFOR as more of a wakeup call for civic-minded citizens. “It’s disappointing the people don’t have as much of a choice as they think they do,” said Tabone, adding, “The [Assembly] lines look as contorted as it did before, there’s only a minor change and in my case they cut me out of the district.”

This is Tabone's home under the proposed lines. His side of the street is in the 25th A.D.

Tabone was asked what was the lesson learned and he replied rhetorically, ”The people, they don’t realize how things are done. But what are you going to do? What’s my recourse to sue or appeal to Shelly Silver?”

Technically Tabone could rent an apartment in the 26th A.D and still run (to avoid carpet bagging charges), stay put and run this cycle, or if Rory Lancman takes out Turner there is a possibility to field a viable Republican candidate for the 25th A.D. But another run for Tabone seems unlikely. The road to Albany is cold and lonely and generally not an ideal job for a family man, especially for Tabone who hopes to continue his mission of supporting and developing the Queens County Republican Club.

Ulrich hurls accusations while members of his inner circle are of questionable integrity.

Like rubbing salt in the old wound.

After the Judge ruled Phil Ragusa as the Chairman plenipotentiary of the Queens GOP, City Councilman Ulrich, who received political help from the GOP during his campaign, gives an old fashion public backstabbing to Robert Hornak and Vince Tabone.

Queens-Politics is outraged. How do people in glass houses throw stones?

Bart Haggerty is Eric’s Chief of staff and rumored to have constructed a special bell tower for himself in the mansion that John Haggerty – his brother who stole from the Mayor – in Forest Hills, sort of like Quasimodo.

Even though Mr. Modo has never been indicted, we are concerned about the involvement he may have had in the 28th A.D Housekeeping account – a one in a kind slush fund that could have been used to pay John Haggertys legal bills, or for an extravagant home in Forest Hills.

Haggerty’s dirty fingerprints are everywhere.

The account was formed as a PAC that operated out of John’s home, according to a report in the Post. However, full financial disclosure has not been released to the public and seems to be a well-guarded secret.

Some questions remain. How do we know where the money was spent?

Could John have promised the Mayor to oust Phil Ragusa as part of the negotiation?

At least there is full disclosure of the northeast Queens GOP account.

Meanwhile, insiders want to know what are the Haggertys hiding? Is there a cover up perpetrated by the insurgent faction of the GOP?

And this is part of a bigger problem: Where is the unity? Why won’t Ulrich and company sit down at the table of brotherhood instead of driving a wedge into the struggling party?

Democrats are thrilled about the GOP power struggle and are waiting to pick up the shattered pieces.

Executive Vice Chairman of the Queens GOP Vince Tabone met with former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney on December 14 and discussed the possibility of local organizational support for the governor’s presidential bid, according to a press release.

Support? That’s a funny word coming from Vince Tabone. If by support he means recruiting Rob Sperenza (who still thinks John McCain is running) and Elio Forcina (who is a religious fanatic and thinks Rick Santorum was sent by God) lounging in a campaign office eating donuts as Mario D’Elia, (a Democrat who was known to stand in the streets in the 80’s screaming vote for Reagan!) then Vince is totally correct about having the support to offer.

However, after observing Tabone’s failed campaigns and broken promises, I’m asking this question; is the man so disillusioned about this so-called support that be would blatantly lie to the presidential candidate? Yes indeed. There is no support, and a shoutout from Dee Richard isn’t going to cut the mustard. The party has become a small bunch of old fogeys and talking heads like William Lewis, Kimon Thermos, and Bob Bishop. There isn’t anybody to get excited about, let alone anyone worth their salt to brag about to a Presidential candidate. Not even the riches of John Catsimatidis can reinvigorate the party even though there are more Republicans in Queens than in any other county. No voter in their right mind would answer the door if these guys came knocking – let alone if they could climb the flight of stairs to get there.

The biggest joke of politics this year was when Vince, Ragusa, Ognibene and company destroyed the party. We have Ulrich down in south Queens freelancing with Mitt Romney while Robert Hornak has an old fart man crush on Newt Gingrich. Everyone seems to be jockying for photo op with Congressman Bob Turner (who was Ulrich’s creation by the way). What about the Haggertys? They aren’t old. Nah, they’ll settle for whomever throws the most money at them. You can expect the Haggertys to support Donald Trump after they sell him the Independence line.

With Frank Padavan in semi-retirement, not even he can put the party together again.

All of these guys have forgot what being a Republican is all about. They’ve been chipping away at the local GOP for a decade, and you know who suffers? I’ll tell you, it’s young people because they are excluded from the party and democracy takes a slam when there is not a single local Republican voice to counter the heavily weighted Democratic opinion. Has anyone seen a viable young Republican club? Candidates have to poach and hire from the Suffolk and Nassau clubs for bodies. During Tabone’s failed bid for assembly, his volunteers came from Long Island, not the neighborhood. It boils down to logistics. They have none. Has anyone seen the Republican party perform any community service lately? Of course not, it just doesn’t happen. Thank God for Dan Halloran because without him, the GOP would be nothing, even with his colorful antics. In summation, they have failed to adapt. I blame the leadership. Meetings are stocked with the elderly and infirm. God Bless them, but I bet their grandkids are Democrats!

Of course the seniors tend to vote, but real campaign support for Romney, like boots on the ground? I think not.

"We're going to get people back to work," said Dan who hit the nail on the head. Many of the attendees felt the crush of a shrinking economy.

A political fundraiser gives an insider’s view of things to come.

Councilman Dan Halloran’s fundraiser at Verdi’s of Whitestone is noteworthy not because of the money raised, but because of the people that came to show support.

Fundraisers are not usually covered by Queens-Politics, but because Dan is my Councilmember and he works on behalf of my friends and neighbors, I felt it was important to inform our readers of what was said here especially if you couldn’t make it.

At the fundraiser I saw many Queens luminaries particularly from our corner of the borough. I had the chance to reconnect with old campaign buddies as well as the owner of Verdi’s who happens to be a good friend of the family. I spoke with Dan’s staff, whom I find to be terrific and professional. A constituent can call up with an issue and they are on it the next day (if not that very hour).

No waiting, no politicking, none of that stuff.

When you need something accomplished for the community, Dan’s office is unmatched. Not everyone may agree, but if you ask me I’ll tell you about the time Dan fast-tracked the installation of a no standing sign in front of my Uncle’s house because motorists were blocking the driveway (he did this almost overnight), or how he’s working on making the city plant a tree in a brown site on my street after my request was lost in bureaucratic red tape.

The most striking moment was when Dan took to the podium. He addressed his detractors, particularly the mainstream media that may not have found his reaming of a business which terrorized local residents appropriate for an elected official. QP thinks otherwise.

Dan chats with Pete Zucarello and a constituent.

Many reporters are new additions to the neighborhood and – more often than not – have lived west of the Hudson most of their life. If that’s the case, it’s an uphill battle to get a bead on what’s going on behind the scenes. But that didn’t matter to Dan. He embraced it, even calling attention to his Youtube video that went viral. “For 10 years my predecessor did nothing,” Dan said and described a two-year period of negotiation with the owner and management of Star Nissan that seemed to go in one ear and out the other.

The people are joyous that someone cares enough to do what it takes even if that means rocking the boat a little.

Dan asked the audience rhetorically, “how do you maintain decorum with what goes on in government?” Everyone seemed to nod in agreement.“We’re all here because it is our hope,” he said and hinted at a run for Assembly or Congress, or a reelection to City Council pending on how the district lines are redrawn.

Elio Forcina was the MC for the evening and he helped organize the event with Mario D’Elia, Philip Zerillo, Pete Zuccarello, and Dennis Ring. Don Capalbi, President of the Queensboro Hill Neighborhood Association was in attendance and so was Dee Richard. Serphin Maltese gave a pep talk, and members of the Bacrarella family were also on hand to show their support.

Frank Padavan was there too. He said Dan would make an excellent Senator. Was it an endorsement? I don’t know.

The audience was a mixture of folks from all political stripes including Democrats, Republicans, and some notable Independents and union members. “It’s not a Democratic or Republican district, it’s a community,” said Dan who was elected on the Republican, Libertarian, Conservative and Independent tickets for which he credits his victory in 2009. A lot of folks tend to overlook that fact.

Vince Tabone, the Executive Director of the Queens Country Republican Party gleamed around the room. He didn’t say hello. I wonder why? Tabone ran against Democrat Ed Braunstein in 2009 for an Assembly seat and lost although I’m not so sure he realized I was the guy with the bullhorn at his poll site. Moving on, Eric Ulrich and Tom Ognibene, who tried to break up the Queens GOP this year were missing in action. That’s a no brainer.

In his closing remarks Mario D’Elia said, “Whitestone has awakened.”

Expect the members of this community to play a significant role when election season heats up.